Mitch Keller's longest spring outing yet, Liover Peguero keeps hitting, more from Pirate loss against the Orioles

Mitch Keller had his longest outing of the spring thus far, Liover Peguero remains hot at the plate, and more from the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 Grapefruit League loss against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night

On Wednesday, the Pirates played the first primetime game of their Grapefruit League schedule. Their first primetime game of the spring came at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida, against the Baltimore Orioles.

In Sarasota, the Pirate were defeated by the Orioles 6-4. This came after the Bucs allowed a pair of runs in the 8th inning, giving the Orioles a lead in a tied game they would not relinquish. With the loss, the Pirates are now 5-7 in Grapefruit League play.

Mitch Keller on the bump

Pirate ace Mitch Keller started for the Bucs, marking his 3rd start of the Grapefruit League campaign. Keller pitched 4 innings for the first time this spring, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, a walk, a home run, and a strikeout.

It might be easy for some fans to raise an eyebrow over Keller having a 6.75 ERA through his first 9 innings of Grapefruit League action. However, it is nothing to worry about. New contract in hand, Keller should be primed for a big season. While his ERA is not pretty, it is just 9 innings.

Additionally, stats in Spring Training games do not matter. What matters is the approach hitters have in the box, where a pitcher's velocity is, what their stuff looks like, etc. For Keller, through 3 starts, his velocity and stuff have been just fine.

The rest of the pitching

On January 31st, the Pirates signed veteran left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman to a 1-year, $10.5 million contract for the 2024 season. At first, this looked like a deal that would simply add to an already deep, talented Pirate bullpen.

Well, with David Bednar banged up and Dauri Moreta potentially set to miss extended time with an elbow issue, Chapman's role could be even bigger than originally anticipated. Chapman followed Keller, allowing a run on 3 hits and a strikeout in the 5th inning.

Carmen Mlodzinski is another pitcher who should play a big role in the Pirate bullpen this season. Mlodzinski allowed a hit, issued a walk, and recorded a strikeout in a scorelss 6th inning. Braxton Ashcraft walked a batter in a hitless, scoreless 7th inning.

Non-roster invitee minor league free agent Ryder Ryan took the ball in the 8th inning. While errors by Nick Gonzales and Termarr Johnson hurt Ryan, he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits, but he did strikeout the side.